


Child of the Deep

by Anonymous



Category: Disney - All Media Types, Disney Princesses, Faerie Folklore, The Little Mermaid (1989)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Character Death, Folklore, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Cannibalism, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Inspired by Disney, Inspired by Music, Little Mermaid Elements, Monsters, Movie: The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Melody (Disney), Not Beta Read, POV Second Person, Regret, Sea Monsters, Sirens, Song Lyrics, Song Parody, Song: Daughter of the Sea, Songfic, mermaids are a lot creepier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-23 12:57:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17683892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: The water was still as your small rowboat floated all but silently through the fog.You walked for a while, quietly, until you found what you were looking for.





	Child of the Deep

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Daughter of the Sea](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/454835) by Robert Brooks. 



The water was still as your small rowboat floated all but silently through the fog. You hummed to yourself, remembering the tales you'd heard of the area.

"Beware, beware, the child of the deep. 'Beware' they heard him cry. His words carried upon the ocean breeze as he sank beneath the tide."

You gazed out as far as you could. The mast of a ship, still donning its tattered sail, floated above the surface of the water, as if it had never ceased its journey.

"Those blood-soaked shores, the ships 'pon oceans' floors; his sailors fought and died. The Prince, he fell, the waters filled with gore, because they left his side."

You shivered to think of the countless bodies fathoms below. You pulled your cloak tighter around your shoulders.

"Why this? Why this, o Child of the Deep? Why this? Did you forget the love conveyed? Always the pride of your people's eyes; how could you go astray?"

You swore you saw something out of the corner of your eye.  _Probably just a bird_ , you reasoned, but still gripped the oar by your feet a bit tighter.

"When they did flee across the ocean deep, their father followed west. What else but sail to save a child's life, and pray they still drew breath?"

A gentle ripple brushed against the side of the boat. You glanced over, following it to its source with your eyes. You could have sworn you saw a flash of red.  _Just a trick of the light_.

"But there he found upon that icy shore, the en'my 'pon the rise. And when he faced that savage foe, his child stood aside."

The softest of breezes sighed between the towering spires of rock. The very ocean seemed to be filled with a deep sadness, penetrating your chest and leaving the sensation of a gaping hole in your chest.

"And buried deep beneath the waves, betrayed by family, to his nation, with his last breath, cried: 'Beware the Child of the Deep'."

Your boat rammed into a small island. Thankfully, there was no damage to the hull, so you tied the rope coming from the bow around a large rock and stepped out onto the slippery, algae-coated rock. You walked for a while, quietly, until you found what you were looking for. 

A child sat before you. Soft pink scales coated their legs, and there were strange fins coming from their forearms. They looked up through matted black hair, aqua eyes wide and brows furrowed. A second lid blinked, but their gaze did not falter.

"I heard, I heard, across a moonlit sea, a small voice warning me. 'Beware, beware the Child of the Deep. Beware, beware . . .'"

The child looked down at their hands. "Of me," they finished quietly.

You smiled softly and crouched down. Your robes, stiff with dried saltwater, brushed against the stone. "I see nothing to beware," you said.

"I let her kill my father so that I could remain a mermaid," they told you, not looking up. "It didn't work. I'm neither merfolk nor human, but some abomination." They stared at the coral-coloured webbing between their fingers. I deserve this fate." They looked up at you. "But you don't."

"Neither of us deserve the bad things that have happened to us, dear."

"That's not what I mean." They curled into themself. "You should go. Before my mother comes back."

"I want to help you."

"You can't. Get back in your boat and leave this place."

"I'm not leaving you behind."

They sighed, getting to their feet and walking towards the shore. You could clearly see the fins on the backs of their legs and running down their spine, along with the gills on their ribs and neck as they pulled their hair over their shoulder and continued into the waves. They stopped for a moment, turned, and glanced over their shoulder to give you a pitiful look. "You found what you came here for," they told you. "There is nothing more for you in this place. Leave while you can."

You watched in silence as they walked further into the water and disappeared beneath the surface. There was a flash of something red out of the corner of your eye, followed by blue eyes and pale skin and sharp teeth.


End file.
